


serious symptoms, simple solutions

by SpankMyAstonMartin



Series: stay young, get stoned [4]
Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-09
Updated: 2016-03-09
Packaged: 2018-05-25 14:52:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,089
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6199339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpankMyAstonMartin/pseuds/SpankMyAstonMartin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Monty finds out one of his neighbors has a cat. Otherwise he's hallucinating.</p><p>Or rather...</p><p>The 'You live in the apartment next to me. We're not supposed to have pets, but I KNOW you have a cat. I'll make you a deal, I won't tell, if you let me pet it' AU. Or a variation of it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	serious symptoms, simple solutions

**Author's Note:**

> Title taken from Jarryd James' 'This Time (Serious Symptoms, Simple Solutions)'
> 
> Timeline-wise this is the first fic in this series.

Monty is two days into his one week stay-cation when he learns something about one of his neighbors. He's rolling his second joint of the morning when he sees it. 'It' being a white cat with black and brown spots on its back. On the landing of the fire escape. A cat which he has never seen before today. He's not even high enough to say he's hallucinating. 

"What the hell?" 

Monty gets off the couch and walks over to the window leading to the fire escape. The cat is just sitting there, licking its paws. It stares at Monty when he opens the window. 

"What are you doing out here?" he asks the cat. 

Naturally the cat doesn't respond. It continues cleaning its paws. Monty notices the collar around its neck. At least it's not a stray. He reaches for the cat. It bats at his hand with its claw out. 

"Shit!" 

The cat runs away. It disappears through someone's open window a few feet further down the landing. 

Monty shuts his window. He stares down at his hand. Four small cuts marks his skin. They're bleeding a little so he rinses his hand in the sink. He slaps some Neosporin on them and goes about the rest of his day.

##

The next time Monty sees the cat is a week and a half later. Octavia and Clarke are over after their last midterms. Smoke fills Monty's living room. He has the window to the fire escape open to air out the apartment.

Clarke has her head on Monty's lap. They're on the couch talking about their plans for the summer. Octavia is on the floor with a bag of Doritos on her stomach. They don't move for more than an hour. Monty ends up closing his eyes and almost falls asleep. 

"Hey, Monty?" Octavia asks. 

"Yeah?" Monty barely lifts his head off the back of the couch. "What's up?" 

"Do you have a cat?" 

"What?" 

Monty sits up. Clarke almost rolls off the couch. She slides down to the floor and points to Octavia. 

"That's a cat," Clarke says. 

"No shit." Octavia rolls her eyes and pets the cat now curled up on her stomach. On top of the bag of Doritos. "His name is Artigas." 

"That's a weird name for a cat." 

"Clarke's a weird name for a girl." 

"Fuck you." 

"Anytime, babe." 

Monty stares at the cat. Where the hell did it come from? It was definitely a house cat since it had a collar and a name. And a window to run into when it didn't want to be on the fire escape. But his apartment building didn't allow cats or dogs or any animal that wasn't a fish. And even then, people couldn't have tanks over ten gallons. It was crap really. 

"Is there any other information on his tag?" Monty asks. 

"Nope." Octavia flicks the tag hanging from the collar. "Just his name." 

The cat purrs and starts nuzzling Octavia's chin. A bell rings somewhere. The cat jumps off Octavia and runs out the window. 

"Come back!" Octavia calls out after the cat. She looks at Monty. "Why don't you have a cat?" 

"We're not allowed to have pets," Monty says. "I want a cat though." 

"The only pussy Monty likes." 

Clarke snorts. Monty throws a pillow at Octavia who bursts into a fit of giggles. Clarke starts laughing and soon Monty joins them.

##

Monty discovers which of his neighbors owns the cat a few days later. Or rather, Octavia does.

Octavia is temporarily moving into Monty's apartment after Bellamy tells her it's getting serious between him and the woman he's currently dating. She's almost twenty years older than him and treats Octavia like a child. She tells Bellamy she's staying with Monty until they inevitably break up. 

Monty and Octavia are bringing up Octavia's workout equipment when they run into the cat owner. They meet him in the elevator. 

Octavia notices the cans of wet cat food at the bottom of his grocery bags. She nudges Monty and points at the cans with the toe of her boot. It makes Monty give the other guy in the elevator a second glance. 

Monty knows him. Sort of. Nathan Miller. He lives next door to Monty and the mailman likes to put his mail in Monty's mailbox sometimes. He doesn't talk when Monty bring him his mail aside from a quiet 'thank you.' Monty never would have pegged him for a cat owner, especially in an apartment building that doesn't allow pets. 

Monty clears his throat and says, "You're Nathan Miller, right?" 

"People just call me Miller," Miller says. He doesn't turn around, just keeps staring at the elevator doors. "Only my mother uses my first name anymore." 

Monty glances at Octavia. She raises her eyebrows and cocks her head in Miller's direction. She, like Monty, wants to see where this conversation is going. 

"You know this apartment building doesn't allow cats," Monty says. 

Miller turns around. His serious face could rival those of Bellamy, Clarke, and Monty's mom. He takes a step toward Monty, who steps back until he hits the wall. Octavia picks up one of her weights, ready for a fight. They can't reach their floor quick enough. 

"You know marijuana is illegal, right?" Miller's gaze flicks over to Octavia, who has a joint tucked behind her ear. "I'll keep your secret if you keep mine." 

"Deal," Octavia says. 

Monty nods his head. Octavia drops the weight back in the box and steps in between Monty and Miller. She doesn't move again until Miller turns back around. 

The elevator bell dings. The doors open and the three of them exit the elevator. They walk down the hallway in awkward silence. Miller reaches his apartment first. He's halfway through the door when Monty decides to talk again. 

"Can we pet it?" he blurts out. 

Octavia snorts. Miller stares at Monty, confused. 

"Excuse me?" 

"Your you know," Monty whispers. 

Miller looks down at his own crotch. Octavia howls with laughter. Monty waves his hands, his cheeks burning. 

"That's not what I meant! I was talking about the cat!" 

Miller smirks. 

"Open your window," he says before entering his apartment. 

Monty shoves a still laughing Octavia into their now shared apartment. 

"Monty's got a boyfriend," Octavia sings. "Monty's got a boyfriend." 

"I do not." Monty crosses the living room to the window leading to the fire escape. "And stop singing that otherwise you're moving back in with your brother." 

That shuts Octavia up.


End file.
